Vampire
Vampires are a supernatural species of undead beings created from converted humans. The strength of a vampire's power is determined by the amount of human blood they consume. A vampire also grows more powerful by the passing of time; the older they become, the stronger they get. If a vampire does not drink human blood, their powers are prone to being less effective and unpredictable. History The origin of the vampire race is a mystery, but it is known that The Originals are the first, and most powerful vampires in existence. According to legend, 600 years ago, vampires and werewolves wreaked havoc upon the Aztecs,until a powerful Shaman placed a curse upon both supernatural species, forcing vampires as slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. Therefore, vampires would perish if ever exposed to sunlight, and werewolves are forced to transform only during the full moon. The curse was banded by a mystical Moonstone, that can only be undone with the sacrifice of a Petrova Doppelganger. (The only known existing Doppelgangers are Katherine, who is a vampire and Elena, who is a human.) However the curse has proven to be a hoax made up by Klaus. Due to Katherine technically being dead, Elena is the only one who has the power to break the curse. Besides the Doppelganger, the components needed to breaking the curse include a vampire (i.e. Caroline Forbes), a werewolf (i.e. Tyler Lockwood), and a witch (i.e. Bonnie Bennett). If the werewolves break the spell first, vampires will eternally be cursed with no way to undo it, and vice versa if vampires breaks it before the werewolves. Vampires have a long and bitter rivalry with the werewolves, making each other natural enemies. It is known that werewolf bites are fatal to vampires and can kill them, as they are their natural prey. Vampires carried out a genocidal campaign against werewolves centuries ago, driving the werewolves to near extinction. Food In order to survive, vampires must drink a form of blood, whether it be human or animal. If a vampire does not drink blood for a considerable amount of time, their heart will pump blood through their veins, but once there's none left, their veins rub together like sandpaper. It is known as being an extremely painful experience. Powers & Abilities Once the transformation to vampire is completed, they acquire certain superhuman powers. *'Speed': One of the most amazing among their abilities is their speed, substantially faster than the human eye can see. When vampires run, they become "all but invisible". *'Strength:' Vampires are much stronger than any animal or human. *'Senses: '''Vampires have extremely strong superhuman senses. They have a very strong sense of smell, picking up scents from far away especially blood. They are able to hear in high pitched frequencies, being able to listen in on conversations from a far away distance. They also have very sharp eyesight and night vision capable of seeing in total darkness. They also have a very strong sense of smell especially for blood. Because of these senses, it makes them almost impossible to sneak up on. *'Healing: If a vampire is injured, their bodies will heal in an extremely, abnormal speed. *'Mind Compulsion: '''Vampires have the ability to control minds, plague people's dreams, and alter/erase human memories. Most Vampires refer to this ability as "compulsion". A vampire's ability to toy with the human mind can be avoided by a human using vervain. ''Vampires are unable to compel one another, unless they are an "Original". *'Immortality: '''Vampires are nearly indestructible. A vampire stops aging once turned. Upon their transformation, vampires then on become immune to all conventional illness, disease, virus and infection. However, they can still be poisoned with vervain, which causes severe weakness and an apparent fever. *'Durability: 'Vampires can take far more trauma than humans can without much discomfort or injury. Weaknesses 'Vervain: When ingested, vervain causes a vampire to become severely weak and feverish. Vervain also serves as a guard against a vampire's "compulsion". If a vampires skin is exposed to vervain, it can result in burning them. Although, some vampires are able to develop an immunity to vervain by ingesting the poison in order to build resistance to it; as witnessed by Katherine showing Stefan that vervain was useless against her, after consuming it for 145 years. Extremely old vampires, like Elijah, are less affected by and heal faster from vervain exposure, treating it a nuisance. Device: Invented by Jonathan Gilbert (Enchanted by Emily Bennett), the Device was a weapon designed to emit a high-frequency noise that could only be heard by vampires and werewolves. Sunlight: Although sunlight was initially harmful to vampires, many have befriended witches, and convinced them into making Lapis Lazuli rings for them. A Lapis Lazuli ring, is a form of jewelry that witches can enchant to protect vampires from dying in the sun. Elijah states that the "Originals" can walk into the sunlight without a ring. Wood: A wooden stake through a vampire's heart will result in death, upon which the vampire's body will become pale and withered in appearance. In fact, wood penetrating a vampire's body in general appears to be dangerous, and very painful. Fire: By burning a vampire or exposing their bodies to flames, the vampire will instantly die. Decapitation: By removing the head of a vampire, it will result in instant death. Werewolf Bite: The bite of a Werewolf has been claimed as being extremely fatal to any vampire bitten. However Originals are immune to the bite of a werewolf. Magic: '''Witches are able to give vampires supernatural aneurysms that cause their blood vessels to explode. However, because vampires possess a rapid healing ability, witches usually do it more than once. '''Heart Extraction: '''If a vampire's heart is taken out, it will cause instant death. Myths '''Garlic: Garlic is shown to have no effect on vampires whatsoever, as witnessed when Stefan cooks with it with Elena, stating that he "loves eating garlic". Religious Artifacts: Stefan informs Elena that religious artifacts have no effect on vampires, describing holy water as "drinkable" and crucifixes as "decorative". Reflections: All vampires are shown to have reflections in mirrors, glass, etc. Silver: Silver has no effect on neither vampires or werewolves. Shape Shifting: Vampires are unable to alter their overall form, as they are depicted in mythology as having the ability to do so. Sleeping In Coffins: '''It is possible that older vampires sleep in coffins to carry on the tradition, but majority of vampire tend to sleep in regular beds. '''Free Invitation: In order for a vampire to enter a home, they must be invited in by the homeowner. Once a vampire has been invited in, their invitation cannot be renounced. A vampire is also unable to compel the owner into inviting them. If a vampire is in a house without an invitation said vampire will be unable to breathe and will be under immense pain. The only way to stop this is to vacate the household. Vampires canthough, walk in public areas such as museums or theaters. The only way a vampire can enter a home without an invitation is if the homeowner dies. Elijah has been showm to contradict this rule as he was able to compel Ms. Lockwood into letting her into her home. Physical, Physiological, and Psychological Characteristics Whenever a vampire feeds, their faces turn to a paler complexion, with blood rushing to their eyes with small veins protruding around the area. Their canine teeth will lengthen into fangs, giving them a more predatory look to scare off enemies. Vampires enjoy stalking and toying with their victims before biting and drinking their blood. Stefan explains that the hunt is often more enjoyable to vampires than the actual feeding. Vampires are excellent hunters and can remain completely unseen by their victims despite any constrictions. Vampires can suppress their bloodlust to a degree by consuming alcohol. Transformation Into A Vampire In order for a human to become a vampire, he/she must first consume the blood of a vampire, and then die within 24 hours of consumption, while the vampire blood is still in the human's system. The nature of the human's death is irrelevant, however the body must be preserved and able to function. Upon mortal death, a period of time elapses before the (un)dead person rises, although he/she is not yet a vampire; rather he/she is in a period of transition where they are not fully vampire. In order to complete the transition, a vampire must consume a large amount of human blood. If they choose not to drink human blood within 24 hours, they will die. See also * List of Vampires Category:Vampire Diaries Characters Category:Vampires Category:Supernatural